by Laura Garber
The Studio event venue on Cypress Avenue in Hermosa Beach was transformed into an intimate R&B lounge on Sunday, March 29.
Walls of candles illuminating the stage, and bean bags for seating created an atmosphere notably different from dedicated music venues.
The evening was presented by Sofar Sounds (“Songs From a Room”), a global movement that showcases a hidden, surprise lineup of emerging artists in unconventional spaces, such as businesses, apartments and rooftops.
Sofar Sounds was founded in a London flat in 2009 by Rafe Offer, Rocky Start and Dave Alexander. It has since expanded to over 400 cities worldwide, including Los Angeles in 2011, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Honolulu.
Many undiscovered talents performed at Sofar Sounds across the world before their big break. 2026 Grammy Artist of the Year, Olivia Dean, performed for Sofar at an intimate soundstage in 2020 and Billie Eilish, a 10 time Grammy award winner and best-selling artist, performed for Sofar Sounds at a Los Angeles warehouse in 2016.
LaCurtis Sumlin III, a Los Angeles-based production manager, was tapped by the global company to bring Sofar Sounds to the South Bay.
The March 29 Sofar Sound was the first Sumlin has organized in the South Bay. It featured Nanauwe, an Indigenous Wôpanâak singer and songwriter; Markeena Novembre, an Atlanta based, gospel-raised soul singer; and local South Bay singer-songwriter Olivia Pucci, accompanied by Aragorn Wiederhold on guitar. Pucci won this year’s Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce Artist of the Year award.
The sultry evening included stripped down renditions of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin n Juice” by Pucci and Wiederhold, Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” by Novembre and odes to Stevie Wonder by Nanauwe, plus original songs by all of the performers.
“When it’s a smaller venue you feel like you do appreciate the art better, as opposed to being in a 1,000 person venue where you feel the crowd more than you feel the band or performer,” said attendee Patrick Jones, a 10-year Redondo Beach resident. “Particularly with Pucci and [Wiederhold,] I felt like it was almost just me.”
“I feel like the audience gets to be as immersed in the moment as we are on stage,” Pucci said. “The candlelight makes you feel like we’re all in it together. We’re all performing, feeling the energy back and forth.”
Last year’s closure of the popular music venue Saint Rocke in Hermosa was a blow to the South Bay’s music scene. The recently opened Deep End Live on the Redondo Pier also hopes to fill that void.
Sumlin said he hopes to hold Sofar Sounds events in coffee shops, churches and small businesses throughout the South Bay.
Sofar Sounds uses ticket sales and brand partnerships to maintain their business model while also paying performers for their sets, an important asset to artists looking for gigs in a seemingly dry musical scene.
“There’s so much that can be done with Sofar,” Sumlin said. “How it brings attention to different people, venues and businesses.”
“It allows people to be focused on the experience at hand, without being distracted by other things going on around them or recording on their phone,” he said. “The biggest thing with Sofar is it allows you to be present in the moment.”
Pucci says when she travels to Italy she will keep Sofar Sounds in mind.
“I’m ready to go out there and let them know, ‘Hey, I’m in town. Holler at me,’” she laughed. “I’m excited for future Sofar performances.” ER
With respect, this isn’t the first time there have been Sofar shows in the South Bay, There were a number of shows put on by them at South Bay Customs in El Segundo close to 10 years ago. It’s nice to have them back though.